Oakland County treasurer urges Waterford residents to seek help before tax-foreclosure deadlines

Robert Wittenberg, Oakland County treasurer, told the Waterford Township Board of Trustees on Feb. 10 that homeowners who owe 2022 or earlier property taxes face a three-year tax-foreclosure process and should contact the treasurer’s office for help.

Wittenberg said taxes that are unpaid by the local due date are turned over to his office; parcels that go unpaid may enter a multi-year sequence that includes forfeiture and, ultimately, foreclosure. He urged residents to call or schedule a Taxpayer Assistance Meeting to explore repayment agreements, saying, “Our job is to collect taxes. Our goal is not to foreclose — we don’t want to foreclose and that’s why we do this push in the community to try to prevent foreclosure.”

Why it matters: Once a property enters the tax-foreclosure sale process, owners generally lose the usual redemption window available in mortgage foreclosures, Wittenberg said. He described a three-step progression: the initial turnover of unpaid accounts from municipalities, a forfeiture phase, then foreclosure and sale. Wittenberg said Oakland County tries to notify owners repeatedly before foreclosure and offers repayment plans as a primary alternative.

What the treasurer said: Wittenberg gave county figures to illustrate the scope of the program. He said roughly 41,465 parcels were turned over to the county in the referenced reporting period; about 39,344 of those were paid in full, and about 1,637 property owners entered repayment agreements with the treasurer’s office. He told trustees that countywide foreclosures have been low in recent years but rose slightly to about 131 in the most recent year, after a prior low of roughly 90.

Assistance and next steps: Wittenberg described Taxpayer Assistance Meetings (TAMs) — private, usually phone-based sessions — that the treasurer’s office uses to work with property owners on repayment plans. He emphasized that the office cannot forgive taxes, interest or fees but can extend time and help owners find outside resources. He also noted options such as the local assessor’s poverty-exemption process and referrals to Lakeshore Legal Aid for qualifying low-income residents and seniors.

Contact information and timing: Wittenberg said 2024 winter taxes become delinquent for county purposes if not paid by the local February due date; some unpaid balances will be turned over to Oakland County on March 1, 2025. Residents with unpaid 2022 or earlier taxes should contact the treasurer’s office before the county rollover and may reach the office at (248) 858-0672 or online at oakgov.com/treasurer. Wittenberg said the office publishes process timelines and outreach materials on its website and in local media.

Board context: Trustees asked several procedural questions about how surplus proceeds from sales are handled and what happens to properties that do not sell; Wittenberg explained the county’s sales sequence and the right-of-first-refusal process by which the local municipality can reclaim unsold properties or the land bank may take title.

Ending: Wittenberg closed by repeating his central plea: owners who believe they may be at risk should contact the treasurer’s office to learn about repayment options and avoid losing property to foreclosure.